Walsall Together Partnership is one of 43 national sites leading the first phase of the government’s National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme (NNHIP), an initiative designed to bring care closer to home and reduce health inequalities.
At the heart of this work is Dawn Asbury, who is supporting the programme as a Place Coah for Neighbourhood Health alongside her day-to-day role as a Community Matron.
Dawn brings over 20 years of experience within Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, and her career is a true reflection of neighbourhood-based care in action. Starting as a Band 3 Healthcare Assistant in 2001, she has grown, developed, and progressed through a number of roles, ultimately becoming a Community Matron and a strong advocate for community-focused support.
In her coaching role within the NNHIP programme, Dawn is working closely with neighbourhood teams to strengthen collaboration, build confidence, and help embed new ways of working that put residents’ needs first.
Qualifying as a nurse in 2008, Dawn became one of the first newly qualified practitioners to move straight into a community role. She has built her skills across specialist practice, leadership and service transformation, leading her to her current position as a Matron for Community and Place-Based Teams.
“There’s a historic view that community nursing is just about older adults or leg dressings but it’s so much more than that,” she explains. “We’re treating people with long-term conditions, doing advanced clinical assessments, delivering IV antibiotics in people’s homes as well as testing for things such as urine infections or deep vein thrombosis. The range of expertise in community nursing is huge and constantly evolving so people don’t need to go through those hospital doors unless they absolutely must.”
During her career Dawn has led teams through times of change, supported innovation and built strong partnerships across Walsall. Key for her is the importance of listening to people and responding in ways that reflect the complexity of their needs and lives.
That’s why stepping into a coach role, alongside her current role, was something Dawn was passionate about, bringing not only clinical expertise and leadership, but a personal connection to the community.
“This isn’t just about transforming services. It’s about building trust between services and more importantly between us and our population.
“Having grown up here in Walsall, in one of the more deprived areas, I know the challenges, but I also know the strengths. I want this role to be about giving back and showing that it doesn’t matter where you come from, you can make a difference.”
She believes that citizen voice is the most vital part of the whole programme.
“The people we serve aren’t just service users, they’re experts in their own lives and their voice truly matters. We need to hear from them, learn from them, and co-design solutions that work for real people, in real communities.”
For Dawn, neighbourhood working is about creating that wraparound, preventative model of care that meets people where they are. It’s about early intervention, equity, and tackling the broader social factors that shape health - from loneliness to housing. And that means working in partnership with GPs, voluntary organisations, housing associations and local authorities so everyone knows exactly what services are available for our local population.
“We’re not just dealing with health needs anymore. We’re supporting people with everything from loneliness to housing. People want to know where to go for support. They want someone to say, ‘I’ve listened to what you need, I think this is the best approach for you, we don’t do that, but I’ll contact someone who does, and we’ll get an appointment for you, or we’ll get a referral sent in.’ That’s what neighbourhood working can do, if we do it right.”
In her coaching role, she’ll facilitate change, support teams across the neighbourhood system to align around shared goals and ensure equity of services based on what matters most to the people who live there, with a focus on prevention.
Recognising there will be challenges along the way, Dawn’s positivity still shines through.
“This time feels different. We’ve got backing from national policy, engaged leadership, and most importantly, we’re finally listening to the population we serve. If we keep working together, I know we’ll make it work.
